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History of Canadian Soccer
by Colin Jose
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Canada
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Galt Football Club: Olympic Champions, 1904 Eight years before the Dominion of Canada Football Association (today’s Canadian Soccer Association) was formed, and six months after the founding of FIFA, the Federation Internationale de Football Association, an Ontario club team won an Olympic Gold Medal in soccer. The year was 1904, the place St. Louis, Missouri, and the team, the Galt Football Club. Now a part of the City of Cambridge, Galt was a hotbed of soccer activity in those days, and the Galt team had won the Ontario Cup, the championship of Ontario, in three previous years, yet oddly enough not in the year of their Olympic triumph. One year later, Galt also won the unofficial Dominion championship by beating Westmount 2–1 in Montreal on June 13, 1905, and by the same score in Galt on July 3, 1905. One year earlier, Galt had toured Manitoba without losing a game. Soccer had become an event at the second Olympiad in Paris, France, in 1900, but only as a demonstration sport. On that occasion, three countries were represented: France, Belgium and the United Kingdom, with Upton Park F.C. of London defeating Club Francais of Paris 4–0 on September 20. The third Olympiad was the first time Canada had been truly represented. No Canadian had participated at the first games in Athens in 1896. In the second, George Orton from Strathroy, Ontario, competing for the United States, won a gold medal in the 2500-metre steeplechase and a bronze in the 400-metre hurdles. For the Olympiad in St. Louis, the difficulties of travelling long distances limited the competition to two countries, Canada and the United States. The game coincided with the St. Louis World’s Fair, with most athletic events staged in late August and into September. However, the soccer games did not take place until November. Originally, according to a report in a Galt newspaper, the University of Toronto, Winnipeg Shamrocks and Toronto Scots had entered, and it was thought likely that Berlin Rangers and Seaforth Hurons would also take part. Later it was claimed that the Berlin Rangers said they simply couldn’t afford the 500 dollars the trip would cost. On the other hand, the University of Toronto, after losing to Galt in Toronto on November 5, and then managing only a tie a week later in Galt, decided that if they couldn’t beat Galt in two tries in Canada, it was pointless to make the trip. However, the Toronto Star of November 5, 1904, listed the Varsity players who would be making the trip to St. Louis, players, who if they had gone, might conceivably have made history. They were Robert, Dowling, Blackwood, Patten, Green, Foster, Slemin, Williams (Med.), McDonald, Phillips, Richardson, Williams (S.P.S.) and Fowler. It was unfortunate because the competition would have been a lot more interesting with two Canadian teams. No further mention was made of the other teams or why they didn’t take part. Galt was a member of the Western Football Association, which was founded in 1880 in Berlin (now Kitchener) and of the fledgling Ontario Football Association League, formed in 1901, with the support and encouragement of the WFA. With experienced players, Galt had little difficulty in defeating the two St. Louis teams in the competition. Mayor Munday of Galt made the trip to St. Louis along with the team. In addition, 50 supporters travelled to St. Louis by train on the old Grand Trunk Railway, which had come up with a special round trip fare of $10.70. Even the train was special – red and white streamers throughout the car, red and white fan-shaped decorations under the windows, flags flying from the rear, and a huge sign letting everyone know that it was the Galt Football Club passing through on its way to the great Fair. In the opening game, Galt had little trouble beating Christian Brothers College 7–0. After taking 20 minutes to find their feet, Galt scored four times in the last 20 minutes of the first half, and never looked back. In the second game, Galt reportedly dominated the first half but could not find a way through the St. Rose defence. However, a tactical talk by captain John Gourlay at half time got the team back on track, and they went on to win 4–0. It should be noted that each half of the two games lasted only 30 minutes, not the standard 45 minutes.
November 16, 1904, in St. Louis, Missouri
November 17, 1904, in St. Louis, Missouri In various reports appearing after Galt had won the 1904 Olympic tournament, it was said that the Galt players were presented with Olympic medals after they had returned to Galt. However, a report in the Toronto Mail and Empire dated November 18, 1904, tells a different story. “Immediately after the game, the Galt aggregation, numbering about 50 persons, retired to the office of James E. Sullivan, chief of the Department of Physical Culture, where they received their prize. After a short talk by Mr. James A. Conlon of the Physical Culture Department, Mayor Mundy of the City of Galt, presented each player on the winning team with a beautiful gold medal. Mr. Mundy, on behalf of the visitors, expressed his appreciation of the kind treatment they had received while here, and especially thanked the Department of Physical Culture of the World’s Fair for the excellent management.” Accompanying the team to St. Louis were: Mayor Mark Munday, Manager Louis Blake Duff and fans George A. Graham, Hy. Dakin, A. McAuslan, Dr. Haas, Joshua Sauder, W. Ballantyne, S. Bruce, George Stevens, C. Proctor, George Bernhardt, N. Laing, Irving Bernhardt, J. Martz, A.E. Cole, W. Bell, James Fraser, A. Willard, P. Radigan and George Steep. On August 8, 1907, a reunion banquet was held at the Iroquois Hotel in Galt of those who had made the journey to St. Louis.
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